Maim

Back in 2020, I was involved in the production MAIM by Theatre Gu Leor. I took on the role of musician, performer, dancer, BSL interpreter, and singer in MAIM (which translates as panic/horror) which was an incredible experience, working with people much more experienced than myself. I was juggling university as well at the same time which is hard to believe looking back, but it was such an amazing opportunity to explore new skills, develop text-based work, write, improvise and provide BSL translation throughout the show. It also introduced me to doing interviews with the press for the opening week at The Tron Theatre Glasgow, before a three-week tour.

The process of combining so many ‘artforms’ was new to me but key for me in finding a very personal way of expressing myself, although the rapport the cast all had together was very special. A personal highlight was the fiddling movement duet with Elspeth Turner.

Everyone in the cast contributed to the text and so I was asked to write about the need to be heard as a young Gàidhlig speaker who felt passionately about the crisis facing us all in terms of our environment as well as the sustainability of minority languages such as Gàidhlig. The director also felt it important to get wanted me to write about how I felt about my deafness, which actually shifted at this point as Theatre Gu Leòr supported me to have weekly BSL classes and then to be mentored by Catherine King.  This support and investment in her development paid huge dividends and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity even though our tour was derailed by the covid lockdown.